Many small electronic components are placed on printed wiring boards to create an electronic circuit. These electronic components include small discrete devices and/or multiple devices on a chip. Many different such devices are applied to the same card and must be made easily available. In addition, an assembly machine may handle the assembly of many different types of printed wiring boards thereby requiring additional kinds of electronic devices. Thus, more different kinds of electronic devices must be available than may be required on any particular one printed wiring board.
Carriers are available to releasably retain different types of electronic devices. The carriers may be made different internally where they releasably retain an electronic device, but are externally the same so that they can be handled conveniently in a standardized storage tube and handling system. A plurality of storage tubes is available so that a different electronic component can be supplied in each storage tube. The problem then becomes one of automatically going to a particular storage tube, removing a carrier and its component from the selected storage tube, and thereupon moving the carrier and its component to a position where it can be acted upon further. The next step may be to remove the component from the carrier, test it, and place it on the printed wiring board. The carrier handling system must be reliable, controllable, and of long life so that it accurately delivers carriers to the output position.